AND FOR CON SESH TIFS RAND PAUL, MIKE LEE, RON JOHNSON AND TED
CRUZ. AND SENATOR RON JOHNSON JOINS ME
NOW. HE CALLS HIMSELF A NO ON THE
HEALTH CARE BILL. WELCOME BACK TO MEET THE PRESS,
SIR. >> GOOD MORNING.
NOT A YES YET. >> FAIR ENOUGH.
LET ME START WITH PROCESS BEFORE WE GET TO THE SUBSTANCE.
YOU YOURSELF SEEM TO LEMENT HOW THIS HAS GONE DOWN.
YOU WERE LEMENTING THE PARTISAN ASPECT OF THIS PROCESS AND YOU
SAID MAYBE THIS IS WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN.
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE THEIR BILL AND REPUBLICANS ARE DOING OURS
AND THEN WE'LL FIX OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU'RE ADMITTING OR YOU MAY BE
ADMITTING THAT EVEN IF YOU GUYS PASS THIS BILL IT'S GOING TO BE
DONE ON A PARTISAN BASIS AND AS SOON AS THE DEMOCRATS GET POWER,
THEY'LL DO ANOTHER BILL AND WE HAVE MORE UNCERTAINTY IN THE
HEALTH CARE MARKET. AREN'T WE JUST BANGING OUR HEAD
AGAINST THE WALL HERE? >> CHUCK, MY BACKGROUND IS
REALLY MANUFACTURING. AND I UNDERSTAND WITHOUT A GOOD
PROCESS YOU'RE GOING TO END UP WITH GOOD PRODUCT AND PROCESS IN
TERMS OF PROBLEM SOLVING STARTS WITH INFORMATION BUT THAT'S
FOREIGN TO WASHINGTON D.C. I'M NOT OF THAT WORLD.
WASHINGTON D.V. IS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WHERE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
POLICIES VOID OF FACTS, VOID OF THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT
YOUED NEED TO SOLVE A PROBLEM SO THAT'S MY FIRST POINT RIGHT NOW
IS WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION, I DON'T HAVE THE
FEEDBACK FROM CONSTITUENT SYS THAT WILL NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH
TIME TO REVIEW THE SENATE BILL. WE SHOULD HAVE STARTED THE
PROCESS, REACHING OUT TO THE DEMOCRATS.
POINTING OUT THAT OBAMACARE DIDN'T WORK.
IT DIDN'T DRIVE PREMIUMS UP MORE THAN DOUBLE NATIONALLY.
SOME PLACES THREE TIMES HAS BEEN THE INCREASE IN PREMIUMS.
LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND LET'S REPAIR THE DAMAGE DONE BY
OBAMACARE AND TRANSITION SOMETHING THAT WORKS.
>> YOU JUST DESCRIBED WHY THIS PROCESS HASN'T WORKED.
YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE THIS DEBATE ABOUT THESE
INSURANCE COMPANIES. WHY ARE THEY LEAVING THE MARKET?
HERE'S SOMETHING THAT CONGRESS DOESN'T KNOW.
THEY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T
HOLD A SINGLE HEARING WITH A SINGLE HEAD OF AN INSURANCE
COMPANY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
SO HOW DO WE KNOW? >> WE DO BUT NOBODY WANTS TO
REALLY TALK ABOUT IT. WE KNOW WHY THE PREMIUMS
INCREASED. REMEMBER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
TALKING ABOUT OBAMACARE AS A CRAZY SEASON.
HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE BUSTING IT WORKING 60
HOURS A WEEK AND THEY'RE LEFT WITH PREMIUMS DOUBLED AND
COVERAGE CUT IN HALF. THOSE ARE THE FORGOTTEN MEN AND
WOMEN IN THIS ENTIRE DEBATE BUT WE KNOW WHY THE PREMIUMS
DOUBLED. WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING IN OUR
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT YOU WOULD NEVER THINK ABOUT DOING
WITH AUTO INSURANCE WHERE YOU WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO SELL A
POLICY TO SOMEBODY AFTER THEY CRASH THEIR CAR.
STATES THAT HAVE ENACTED GUARENTEE FOR PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS, IT CRASHES THEIR MARKETS.
IT CAUSES THE MARKETS TO COLLAPSE AND PREMIUMS TO
SKYROCKET. THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU CAN ADDRESS
PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS WITHOUT COLLAPSING
MARKETS. IT'S BY DESIGNING HIGH RISK
POOLS. WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO IS ADD TO
THIS INVISIBLE HIGH RISK POOL BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE COURAGE IN
WASHINGTON AND THE HONESTY TO TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS WITH
REAL INFORMATION AND REAL FACTS AND GOU THROUGH THE PROBLEM
SOLVING PROCESS. INFORMATION AND AGREE ON
ACHIEVABLE GOALS AND THEN PASS THE LEGISLATION.
>> ISN'T SOME OF THE PROBLEM HERE THE RHETORIC THAT GETS
USED. I'M GOING TO USE YOU AS AN
EXAMPLE HERE. I WANT TO PLAY THE RHETORIC YOU
USED DURING YOUR RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
>> THIS IS OUR SHOT. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
REPEAL OBAMACARE THE NEXT TIME. THIS IS OUR SHOT.
>> YES, YOU BET I WOULD REPEAL NIT A HEART BEAT.
>> AND THEN THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID IN JANUARY.
THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID IN JANUARY ABOUT THAT RHETORIC.
>> IT'S WAY MORE COMPLEX THAN REPEAL AND REPLACE.
THAT'S A BUZZ WORD BUT IT'S NOT ACCURATE.
THE POINT IS DURING THE CAMPAIGN YOU USED THAT LITTLE BUZZ WORD
AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE HEARING THAT BUZZ WORD AND
THEY'RE LOOK AT THIS NOW AND SAYING YOU BEEN PROMISING REPEAL
AND REPLACE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR 7 YEARS AS A PARTY AND
NOW YOU'RE BEING REALISTIC IN THE JANUARY STATEMENT WHEN THERE
ISN'T AN ELECTION COMING BUT ISN'T THIS PART OF THE PROBLEM
THAT YOU USE ONE SET OF RHETORIC DURING THE ELECTION YEAR AND
THEN WHEN YOU NEED A PRAGMATIC PROCESS, THE CONSTITUENTS DON'T
BUY IT? >> THE PROBLEM IS ON SHOWS LIKE
THIS YOU GET A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND YOU HAVE TO CONDENSE WHAT
YOU WANT TO DO. NO I WOULD REPEAL ALL OF
OBAMACARE AND I WOULD REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY
WORKS. SKYROCKETING PREMIUMS AND
COLLAPSING MARKETS AND ADDRESSING THE FORGOTTEN MARKET.
YOU SAID YOURSELF SLASHING MEDICAID.
THAT'S WASHINGTON SPEAK. MY DEFINITION OF A CUT IS
SPENDING BEING REDUCED YEAR OVER YEAR.
WE DON'T HAVE THE FINAL FIGURES BUT ANY PROJECTIONS THAT I HAVE
BEEN WORKING WITH REGARDLESS OF THE BILL, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING
OTHER THAN REDUCTION IN THE GROWTH OF SPENDING SO LET'S BE
HONEST ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
WE $20 TRILLION IN DEBT. OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS ANOTHER
129 TRILLION DOLLARS IN ACCUMULATED DEFICIT.
WE'RE MORTGAGING OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE.
A COMPASSIONATE SOCIETY DOESN'T IMPROVISH FUTURE GENERATIONS FOR
BENEFITS IN THE HERE AND NOW. >> YOUR CONCERNS ARE PROBABLY
NEVER GOING TO BE FULLY ADDRESSED IN THIS BILL.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR YOU, AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO DECIDE
WHETHER TO DO THIS OR NOT. IS THE POLITICAL PRESSURE OF
SAYING IF YOU DON'T DO THIS AND YOU'RE ONE OF THE REPUBLICANS
AND YOU HAVE HEARD FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP HE HOPES HIS
GOOD FRIENDS DON'T TANK THIS BILL, HOW MUCH DOES THAT
POLITICAL PRESSURE WEIGH ON YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU LOOK AT THIS
BILL AND YOU SEE A LOT OF FLAWS? >> THE REASON I LEFT THE LIFE I
LOVED IN WISCONSIN WAS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND WHAT I FIND SO
DISAPPOINTING IS THESE BILLS AREN'T GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
THEY'RE DOING THE SAME OLD WASHINGTON THING THROWING MORE
MONEY AT THE PROBLEM AND OF COURSE WE HAVE ALL THE INFLAMED
RHETORIC SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS THROW SLOE THE PROCESS DOWN
AND GET THE INFORMATION AND GO THROUGH THE PROBLEM SOLVING
PROCESS AND REDUCE THESE ROOM PREMIUMS THAT HAVE BEEN DRIVEN
UP BECAUSE OF OBAMACARE MANDATES SO LET'S FIX THE PROBLEM BUT IN
THE END I COME FROM A MANUFACTURING BASE.
I'LL LOOK AT WHATEVER I'M FORCED TO VOTE ON AND I'LL ASK MYSELF
IS THIS BETTER TOMORROW THAN WHERE WE ARE TODAY?
IS IT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. >> YOU DON'T LIKE THIS PROCESS
BUT YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO DELAY THINGS TO FORCE THE PROCESS TO
GET BETTER? >> I WOULD LIKE TO DELAY THE
THING. THERE'S NO WAY WE SHOULD BE
VOETH ON THIS NEXT WEEK. >> ARE YOU GOING TO WORK TO STOP
A VOTE NEXT WEEK? >> I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING
WISCONSIN CONSTITUENTS OR MYSELF WILL HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO
PROPERLY EVALUATE THIS FOR ME TO VOTE FOR A MOTION TO PROCEED.
SO I HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGING, LEADERSHIP T WHITE HOUSE,
ANYBODY I CAN TALK TO FOR QUITE SOMETIMES.
LET'S NOT RUSH THIS PROCESS. LET'S HAVE THE INTEGRITY TO SHOW
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHAT IT IS WHY HAVEN'T THEY LISTENED.
>> AS YOU